The Pen is Mightier

At least the keyboard is mightier than the sword! Jeni was totally right in her post last September that discusses the importance of letting big companies know when you are not thrilled with their services or products! In my "beat the snow" mad dash through Wal-Mart yesterday, I purchased some Quaker MiniDelights 90 calorie cheddar and sour cream rice cakes to have on hand in case of power failure or cheese craving. I seriously love those little snack cakes, even if they are mostly puffed air. But as I was reading the ingredients list on the bag, I was really disappointed to see that the product contained partially hydrogenated oil, aka the dreaded "Trans-Fat." Those ones that kill you. There was a disclaimer stating that the amount in the product was considered "dietarily insignificant." And then and there I decided that if it were so insignificant, I needed to know why it was included at all. And so I wrote them an email from their comment section on their website. And surprise, surprise, here is the response I received TODAY:

Rachael:

We are sorry and understand why the presence of hydrogenated
oils/trans-fats in Quaker Mini Delights causes you concern. To replace your
purchase, we're mailing a full value coupon for any Quaker Product. It
should arrive in about a week.

Partially hydrogenated oils are used for more desirable texture and
consistency. The bulk of our products has relatively lower levels of trans
fats (0.5 to 1 gram) and we are investigating opportunities to improve
these products.  Our goal is to continue looking for ways to eliminate
or reduce trans fats in all of our products over time.

Your comments are important to us, Rachael.  We will share your
concerns with our product development team.  Again, thank you for your
interest in our products.

Dan
Quaker Consumer Response

So, to say the least I am impressed with their quick response and their desire to remove trans-fats from their snack products. And woo, I get a coupon, but I didn't really need that. I just needed to know that they understood that having a "dietarily insignificant" amount of anything in their product was redonkulous.